Shari

I live at the east end of Devonshire where my backyard adjoins the Washington Manor Park. These past 3 years we have been here have been a great relief from the noise of the San Leandro Downtown area we lived in prior to moving here. The neighbors have been cordial and mostly quiet. Occasionally in summer the parties in the park are a bit noisy on weekends but they almost always break up by dark. The park is the greatest fitness center you could ask for with Tennis Courts, Basketball, water park, softball, soccer and childrens play equipment. Not to mention 15 acres of grass, trees and open space. The street is usually pretty clean with everybody picking up in front of their own place and a city street sweeping a few times a month. The houses at this end of the street are a little newer than farther west. Single story ranches built in the 1950's with 2 car garages and space for 2 cars in the driveway. Some houses also have drive through garages. With all this parking on the properties you would think that the street parking would be plentiful, but apparently we have families on the street with more cars than they can drive. During the day is not a problem but in the evening you might be forced to park around the corner on Zelma if you must park on the street. The vehicles are generally safe out there, I have heard of an infrequent break in or vandalism.
Nightlife is limited to a couple of local bars and retail nearby are pretty much small independants. As long as you drive there are plenty of options just outside the immediate vicinity. There are several low to medium budget eating places within a few blocks with a variety of different food ethnicities. The bus service is a few blocks to a stop and service is scheduled half hour apart during commute times, otherwise hourly (last time I checked). There are nearby schools, but they have not been rated too high in their standardized testing. The community is mixed with people from many different races and ages living alongside each other. Most public utilites are always available although I have had intermittent success with internet service. After trying 3 different providers, one through the cable instead of phone, I'm not sure if the problem is with my house or the street but the problem continues. There is an abundance of suburban wildlife. We routinely see racoons, opossum, skunks, squirrels, and an occasional rat. The dogs love it and fortunately keep them out of our yard. Neighborhood cats are frequent visitors as well if you don't have a dog to deter them.